Kitchen & Bath

Staff -- Interior Design, 5/31/2008 12:00:00 AM

Balance Nederland BV

Futuristic Code X washbasins are overtly techno—along the lines of iconic 1980's vocalist Grace Jones, on the one hand, and proto-Matrix blockbuster Tron, on the other. Thanks to sturdy stainless steel construction, the drain and wall bracket are nearly guaranteed to be around long enough for the old-fashioned world to catch up. Meanwhile, the innovative bowl is a chunk of virtually indestructible cristalplant, a hardy synthetic that blends powdered minerals and resin for improved durability. And don't forget the deck-mount El Touch taps; they are so advanced that they have yet to enjoy an official release into the marketplace. 31-348-43-22-82; balance-nl.com. circle 715

Antrax It

Start with the idea of a human heart, its two ventricles pulsing with liquid warmth. That's only one metaphor that comes to mind for the Zero-otto radiator by architect Francesco Lucchese. Don't need so much heat? Unlike its flesh-and-blood counterpart, the halves of this heater are actually modular and can be used individually. Meanwhile, the Ghibli is a multi-function radiator unit engineered by Andrea Crosetta according to Peter Rankin's design. The form evokes the softly sculpted surface of a sand dune, and it is beautifully simple indeed. The practical side really comes into focus when the unit is installed horizontally, so that the radiant aluminium panel can be employed to heat towels. 39-04-23-71-74; antrax.it. circle 716

Philip Watts Design

The electric Gloo urinal by (aptly named) designer Philip Watts is a real turn-on. Its rotational-molded polyethylene comes in 12 solid colors, or a multi-colored LED-backlit option, textured and flecked on the exterior for longevity in commercial applications. The auto-flusher, waste grates, and bottle traps are all chrome. 44-115-926-9756; philipwattsdesign.com. circle 717

Miele

The 21 configurations of the Master Cool Independence refrigeration series may be either stainless-clad or integrated, in which case, the bottom-mount vents minimize visual evidence of the units. Separate compressors eliminate air—and therefore flavor—exchange between the individual refrigerator and freezer compartments. 800-843-7231; miele.com. circle 721

Sicis

New Bleian renders boldly stylized flowers as pixels in panels that are 5/8-, 1 7/8-, or 11 5/8-inches square; or 5/8 by 1 7/8 inches, 1 7/8 by 11 5/8 inches, or 5 3/4 by 115/8 inches. Available in ruby, Vis One, Vis Two, Hermes, aluminum, and gray flannel. 877-839-8900; sicis.com. circle 718

Jaclo Industries

Droplets from the Dream Light Rain Canopy glimmer, thanks to light-emitting diodes in your choice of white, blue, amber, red, green, or warm white. The light comes on automatically with the water flow or may be activated separately. The canopies are 16 inches round or square; the rectangle shape is 16 by 20 inches. 800-852-3906; jaclo.com. circle 720

Rubinetti Zazzeri

Architect Simone Micheli's Rem washbasin-deck-mounted chrome faucet features a single-lever mixer and a duet of aerators that produce two distinct streams from the tip of the tap. Coordinating wall-mounts and a tub-filler are also sold. Watercolors; 845-424-3327; watercolorsinc.com. circle 719

Simas

The Impronte collection's charmingly decorative Sketch pattern plants whimsical, floral doodles on sleek sanitary ceramics already in this company's line. Scribbles are available in black on a white porcelain Frozen Collection lavatory, and as a gray graphic on a black background. 39-76-1-518161; simas.it. circle 727

Lea Ceramiche

Architect Diego Grandi's City tiles evoke not only a network of urban streets but also their scale (thanks to their 24-by-48-inch size). Even the pavement itself gets a nod via the metallic serigraphic print atop a base of asphalt-inspired bronze, anthracite, or silver. 704-522-6300; ceramichelea.it. circle 722

Oceanside Glasstile

Designer Feras Irikat's decorative glass Twin Peaks field tile from the Casa California collection combines effortlessly with the same manufacturer's contrasting Elevations tiles in matte-finish glass. The glass is recycled and ships in more than two dozen colors, with a choice of standard, matte, or iridescent finishes. 760-929-4000; glasstile.com. circle 726

Bertazzoni

Heritage Series ranges build on 125 years of experience. The ignition is child-safe, with the gas flow cutting off automatically if flames die (and even if the electricity is out). Wok-adaptors are cast-iron; simmer-plates for the burners are sealed; and you can swap matte burgundy or cream for the standard matte black finish. 39-0522-226-411; bertazzoni-italia.com. circle 723

Poggenpohl

For its German-made P'7340 kitchen, Porsche Design brought in masculine, brushed-pine or brushed-oak fronts and 40 percent lighter, honeycomb-cardboard-core carcasses that lower energy use across the supply chain. Green features include wood lacquered with a water-based coating, and aluminum and glass that can be recycled. 973-812-8900; poggenpohl-usa.com. circle 724

Linkasink

Kirk Guthrie's 14-inch Mother of Pearl Mosaic artisan sink is a wok-shape casting in traditional or white bronze. As with the 17-inch version, the smaller interior's durable dusk-colored shell mosaics may be exchanged for a patchwork of darker midnight tiles—or for ethereal pearly-white shells. 866-395-8377; linkasink.com. circle 725

Palazzani Rubinetterie

New Track faucets by plumbing designer Antonio Bullo comprise a suite of geometric mixing taps—each featuring an unapologetically cubic control knob. The squarish spout itself is wide and flat, to produce a modern 21st-century waterfall. 39-0374-74141; palazzanirubinetterie.it. circle 728

Vent-A-Hood

A tip of the hat to the icons that made this company a household name! The Classic crowns either vintage or vintage-look ranges. Yet there's nothing retro about the way these old-school, painted stainless hoods will exhaust up to 1,200 cubic feet per minute. The Classic is in widths of 30 or 48 inches, and in any custom color. 972-235-5201; ventahood.com. circle 732

Lacava

From the ground level right up to the joystick controller, Waterblade W1475 is a cut above. The floor-mounted model is brass construction, finished with polished chrome or brushed nickel. Either finish pairs perfectly with a center-drained white Colpa basin from the same manufacturer. 888-522-2823; lacava.com. circle 729

Santambrogio Milano

Motivated by his fascination with transparency, Ennio Arosio's mission was to create just about anything out of inch-thick, extra-clear Saint Gobain glass. His tectonic design work, with screws and supports to connectors, paid off: The floor-mount Simplicity sink is just one assembly possible using the system. 39-02-7602-0788; santambrogiomilano.it. circle 731

Dutchtub

Let's "go Dutch" and off-the-grid, with the portable 200-gallon Dutchtub polyfiber soaking tub. The tubs come in orange, Pigeon blue, light blue, dark gray, or one of two shades of green. Even on the chilliest days, a wood fire in the tub's spiral of stainless steel plumbing directly warms water circulating through the coil. 518-524-2151; dutchtub.us. circle 730

Mila International

The 13 models in the Mila Tri-mount line of 16-gauge stainless steel sinks have a quarter-inch-thick lip that can be readily inset, for a hygienic and practically seamless flush-mount transition to counter surfaces. Alternatively, they may also be under-mounted or dropped into counters. 646-415-8666; mila-international.com. circle 738

Zucchetti Rubinetteria

William Sawaya's Wosh ZW1465 faucetry is crystalline in form, resembling a precious gem. The four-hole bathtub filler with a single-lever mixer is the linchpin of this suite of individual, yet coordinating designs, finished in a choice of chrome, platinum, or gold. 800-655-2534; zucchettidesign.com. circle 733

Hastings Tile & Bath

From fashionable Italian manufacturer Viva's groov-a-licious Glam line, Drop is a large-scale porcelain wall tile measuring 1/10 inch thick, and 19 by 39 inches. 800-351-0038; hastingstilebath.com. circle 734

TurboChef

Up top, behind the powder-coated door of a 30" Double Wall Speedcook Oven, restaurant-proven "airspeed technology" can move heated air columns at 60 miles per hour. The lower oven, with a stainless door, offers conventional convection. 866-543-6569; theovenreinvented.com. circle 737

Imagine Tile

Tiles in the Flower Power collection cultivate the fresh-picked exuberance of Rebecca Cole, a long-time gardening guru on NBC's The Today Show. For enhanced durability, high-temperature firing melds Cole's cheerful glazed patterns with the ceramic body of the tile. 800-680-8453; imaginetile.com. circle 735

Dornbracht

Sieger Design's Tara Ultra "professional" single-lever mixer has a pivoting spout and an integrated rinsing spray with aerator and jet functions. All were inspired by the looks and functionality of food-service kitchens. In keeping with the focus on function, the arm is crisply rectangular rather than round. 800-774-1181; dornbracht.com. circle 736

Gessi

Go fingerprint-free, thanks to Milan-based designer Prospero Rasulo's Gessi Electronic Taps. Either a lithium battery or your municipal electric company can power-up the chromed or silver-finished automatic faucets, which come as a sink-top mixer, a basin mixer, or a wall-mounted mixer. 714-808-0099; gessiusa.com. circle 739

Dominic Crinson

This Brit's Opera border tiles simulate a drip-drizzle in 18-carat gold. Their fringed pattern can edge coordinating, large-format ceramic field tiles, also by the artist. Both the field and border tiles sell in faux gold or a fresh Tarragon green. 44-207-704-6538; crinson.com. circle 744

Moen

The modern Level lavatory faucet is a standout among this plumbing suite's dual-handle Roman tub taps, fillers, and showers. Available in chrome or brushed nickel, the faucet is controlled by a 110-degree arc of the lever handle. At 7 inches high, the spout should surmount most vessel sinks. 800-289-6636; moen.com. circle 740

Watermark Designs

Clodagh delivers a little sleight-of-hand with her Touch faucets and showerheads. Just beneath the forged-look surface lie cross-handle controls; their precision engineering promises to save an Earth-friendly gallon of water per minute without any detectable loss of flow. 800-842-7277; watermark-designs.com. circle 743

Stone Forest

Start with a natural-edge WD-05 Wood L-pedestal, then top its hardwood slab with one of this manufacturer's 17-inch-wide, sand-cast Bronze Zen vessel sinks. The choice of golden or white bronze finish will vary slightly with each sink, then continue evolving subtly over time. 888-682-2712; stoneforest.com. circle 741

Casamood

The Thin collection's 19-by-38-inch Iki glazed porcelain sheet—at a shockingly scant 1/10 inch—is still thick enough for walls. The toile print is either red or black against a clean white background. 678-393-8051; casamood.com. circle 742

Naxos

The sun-kissed Caribbean charm of the Sunset stria starts with a breezy color combination known as Kos. Watery aqua-blues wave across beachy beige on the single-fired, white-body ceramic wall tiles that are nearly 13 by 26 inches in size. Italian Trade Commission; 212-980-1500; naxos-ceramica.it. circle 745

Duravit

First came the signature washbasin, available in more than a dozen versions. Then the D-Code family flowered into a veritable bouquet of functional bathroom sanitary ceramics in related shapes. The collection's single- and dual-flush Wall-mounted Toilet is now approved for U.S. installations. The existing collection includes two bidets, a urinal, and a full range of tubs. 888-387-2848; duravit.com. circle 749

Ernestomeda

Blast-off with a Solaris kitchen that takes both its name and inspiration from Polish writer Stanislaw Lem's sci-fi masterwork. Designer Pietro Arosio has combined a sink and ceramic stovetop with a stainless steel structure and a Corian work surface that doubles as a table or desk. 312-329-0229; ernestomedachicago.com. circle 746

Kohler

Evoke single-control, swing spout kitchen faucets have 10 inches of clearance. The slightly smaller version meant for secondary sinks still boasts a generous 8 inches. Either size can be ordered with a two-function, pull-out spray. Finishes include polished chrome, polished nickel, and stainless steel. 800-456-4537; kohler.com. circle 748

Bisazza

Creative director Carlo Dal Bianco's Velvet glass mosaic murals are mesh-mounted in gray, with gray-hued oro blanco tiles (brown or white are also offered). The ¾-inch-square tiles install with a companion, color-matched epoxy grout for an almost seamless look, while the cut-velvet pattern repeats every 25½ inches. 800-247-2992; bisazzausa.com. circle 747

Sloan Valve Company

Finishes offered for the Optima series ETF-800 wall-mount, hands-free electric faucets include nickel and chrome, of course, but also brass, satin copper, and polished copper. The quick-release sensor and solenoid connections are actually modular, while LED troubleshooting lights indicate the need for maintenance. 800-982-5839; sloanvalve.com. circle 754

Artistic Tile

Founder Nancy Epstein's love of Art Deco detailing led to etched dots and rings picked out in gold, silver, and copper leaf for Interlocking Circles's 4-inch Brazilian slate squares. During manufacturing, the leaf is carefully sealed, for water resistance. 877-528-5401; artistictile.com. circle 750

Dacor

A hidden, touchpad-controlled element at the bottom of Preference warming drawers maintains temperatures between 100 and 200 degrees for up to four hours—or, in Sabbath Mode, for any time period required. Moist/crisp settings prevent foods from alternately drying or getting soggy. 800-793-0093; dacor.com. circle 753

Samuel Heath

The Fairfield collection's Exposed Thermostatic Shower recalls both the Arts and Crafts and Aesthetic movements. Specify cross-top or lever controls in a choice of wood, ceramic, or metal. The hand shower is also available in wood, metal, or ceramic. 212-599-5177; samuel-heath.com. circle 752

Sopha Industries

The Baignoire AQH is furniture for the bath from the ArtQuitect Hayon collection by Spanish design maverick Jaime Hayon. The Baignoire AQH melds classical and contemporary forms. Delicate, black legs lift just the lip of this oversized, floor-mounted ceramic tub, which incorporates storage and display modules. 33-1-42-81-25-85; sopha.fr. circle 751